Education Obituary

Obituaries

September 15, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Andrew Kohut

Andrew Kohut, one of the nation’s foremost opinion pollsters, died Sept. 8 from leukemia. He was 73.

Kohut was the founding director of the Pew Research Center, where he also served as president from 2004 to 2012. He led the Gallup Organization from 1979 to 1989 and founded several research groups tracking opinion on policy and politics.

He was perhaps best known for creating more-nuanced profiles of voters, based not just on political party but also on values and interests, which revealed ways that support for education policies such as charter schools could span different political parties. At Pew, Kohut helped shape studies of college attainment, public support for education, and opinions among Americans with different levels of schooling.

Among his work was an in-depth poll on President George W. Bush’s legacy in education. Kohut also was a frequent public-opinion commenter for media organizations, including Education Week.

In 2005, he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research award for exceptionally distinguished achievement.

–Sarah D. Sparks

Thomas Sobol, a former New York state education commissioner and professor of education, died Aug. 27 of complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 83.

Sobol was appointed to the schools chief’s post in 1987. He resigned in 1995, citing a clash of values with newly elected Republican Gov. George E. Pataki.

He most recently served as the Christian A. Johnson professor of outstanding educational practice at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he led its Superintendents Work Conference.

Sobol was known for promoting an inclusive curriculum. A task force he formed to create a multicultural social studies curriculum in New York “ignited a national debate over its proposals for inclusion of minority viewpoints in the study of history,” Education Week wrote at the time.

–Evie Blad

A version of this article appeared in the September 16, 2015 edition of Education Week as Obituaries

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: January 15, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Jan. 10, 2025
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977.
President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977.
Suzanne Vlamis/AP
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Dec. 19, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
TIghtly cropped photograph showing a cafeteria worker helping elementary students select food in lunch line. Food shown include pizza, apples, and broccoli.
iStock/Getty
Education The Education Word of 2024 Is ...
Educators, policymakers, and parents all zeroed in on students' tech use in 2024, which prompted this year's winner.
5 min read
Image of a cellphone ban, disruption, and symbol of AI.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva